Information processing device, information processing method and information processing program

Abstract

To improve creativity and flexibility, to improve productivity and to achieve cost reduction by flexibly editing and reusing document image data read by an image scanner.SOLUTION: An information processing device includes a document image acquisition part for acquiring document image data read by an image reading part, a document image division part for dividing the document image data into a plurality of objects having different attributes, and a hierarchal data generation part for arranging the plurality of objects at a plurality of different layers, respectively to generate hierarchical data including the plurality of layers in each different attribute.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program that process document image data read by an image scanner. [Background technology]

[0002] The scan and save function of conventional image forming devices saves document data in various file formats such as PDF, TIFF, JPEG, etc. Most of these formats use a data reproduction method called bitmap, which represents images using colored dots. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-105241 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] It is hoped that the document image data read by an image scanner can be flexibly edited and reused to increase creativity and flexibility, as well as to improve productivity and reduce costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] An information processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a document image acquisition unit that acquires document image data read by the image reading unit; a document image dividing unit that divides the document image data into a plurality of objects having different attributes; a hierarchical data generating unit that arranges the plurality of objects in different layers for each of the different attributes and generates hierarchical data including the plurality of layers; It is equipped with:

[0006] An information processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: The computer of the information processing device Acquire document image data read by the image reading unit; Dividing the document image data into a plurality of objects with different attributes; The plurality of objects are arranged in different layers for each of the different attributes, and hierarchical data including the plurality of layers is generated.

[0007] An information processing program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: The computer of the information processing device, a document image acquisition unit that acquires document image data read by the image reading unit; a document image dividing unit that divides the document image data into a plurality of objects having different attributes; a hierarchical data generating section that arranges the plurality of objects in different layers for each of the different attributes and generates hierarchical data including the plurality of layers; Operate as. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is expected that the ability to flexibly edit and reuse document image data scanned by an image scanner will lead to increased creativity and flexibility, as well as improved productivity and cost reduction.

[0009] The effects described here are not necessarily limited to those described herein, and may be any of the effects described in this disclosure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus when the information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is an image forming apparatus. [Figure 2] 1 shows a functional configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 3] 1 shows an operation flow of the information processing device. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates the operation of an information processing device. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B show schematic diagrams of processing when hierarchical data is output. [Figure 6] A modified example is shown schematically. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] 1. Hardware configuration of information processing device

[0013] The information processing device 10 may be any information processing device such as an image forming device such as an MFP, a smartphone, a tablet computer, or a personal computer.

[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus when the information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is an image forming apparatus.

[0015] The image forming apparatus 10 includes a control circuit 100 that constitutes a computer. The control circuit 100 is composed of a processor, such as a CPU 11a (Central Processing Unit), a RAM 11b (Random Access Memory), a ROM 11c (Read Only Memory), and dedicated hardware circuits, and is responsible for overall operational control of the image forming apparatus 10. The CPU 11a loads an information processing program stored in the ROM 11c into the RAM 11b and executes it to perform the operations described in the operational flow below and control the display and operational input of the touch panel 17. The ROM 11c permanently stores the programs and data executed by the CPU 11a. The ROM 11c is an example of a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium.

[0016] The control circuit 100 is connected to an image reading unit 12 (image scanner), an image processing unit 14 (including a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)), an image memory 15, an image forming unit 16 (printer), a touch panel (front panel) 17 which is an operation unit having a display unit 17a, a large-capacity non-volatile storage device 18 such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), a facsimile communication unit 19, and a network communication interface 13 (communication unit). The control circuit 100 controls the operation of each of the above-mentioned connected units and transmits and receives signals or data to and from each unit. The operation unit of the touch panel 17 is one form of input device, and a voice input device including a microphone may be provided as the input device.

[0017] 2. Functional configuration of information processing device

[0018] FIG. 2 shows the functional configuration of the information processing device.

[0019] The computer of the information processing device 10 operates as a document image acquisition unit 101, a document image division unit 102, and a hierarchical data generation unit 103 by executing an information processing program.

[0020] 3. Operation flow of information processing device

[0021] Fig. 3 shows the operation flow of the information processing device, and Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the operation of the information processing device.

[0022] The image reading unit 12 (image scanner) reads a document 200 (typically a paper medium) and generates document image data 210. The document 200 includes text 201 (a string of characters generated and printed by a word processor or the like), handwritten characters 202, and images 203 (logos, diagrams, etc.). The document image data 210 is raster data expressed as a bitmap.

[0023] The document image acquisition unit 101 acquires document image data 210 read by the image reading unit 12 (image scanner) (step S1). The document image data 210 includes a text object 211, a handwritten object 212, and an image object 213. The document image data 210 is raster data expressed as a bitmap.

[0024] The document image division unit 102 divides the document image data 210 into a plurality of objects with different attributes (text objects 211, handwritten objects 212, and image objects 213) (step S2). Specifically, the document image division unit 102 extracts the text objects 211, handwritten objects 212, and image objects 213 by optical character recognition (OCR), image recognition, etc.

[0025] The hierarchical data generation unit 103 arranges the plurality of objects 211, 212, and 213 on different plurality of layers 221, 222, and 223, respectively, for each different attribute, and generates hierarchical data 220 including the plurality of layers 221, 222, and 223 (step S3). The hierarchical data 220 is an SVG file. The SVG file has a hierarchical structure because it is written in XML format. Specifically, the hierarchical data generation unit 103 arranges the text object 211 on the text layer 221, the handwritten object 212 on the handwritten layer 222, and the image object 213 on the image layer 223. The hierarchical data generation unit 103 generates hierarchical data 220, which is an SVG file including the text layer 221, the handwritten layer 222, and the image layer 223 in a hierarchical structure.

[0026] Furthermore, the hierarchical data generation unit 103 generates a layer file for each of the multiple layers included in the hierarchical data (step S4). That is, the hierarchical data generation unit 103 saves the text layer 221, the handwriting layer 222, and the image layer 223 as independent files: a text layer file 231, a handwriting layer file 232, and an image layer file 233. This makes it possible to output (print, etc.) the text layer file 231, the handwriting layer file 232, and the image layer file 233 independently.

[0027] FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of the process when hierarchical data is output.

[0028] The user selects one of text layer 221, handwriting layer 222, and image layer 223 (in this example, text layer 221) from hierarchical data 220, which is an SVG file, and executes print command 240. Then, image forming device 10 outputs text layer file 231 in accordance with print command 240.

[0029] FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of a modified example.

[0030] In this embodiment, the information processing device 10 is an image forming device (MFP), but it may also be a personal computer or a server computer. In this case, the computer acquires the document image data 210 from the image forming device, generates the hierarchical data 220 and layer files 231, 232, and 233, and outputs them to the image forming device when printing.

[0031] 4. Conclusion

[0032] According to this embodiment, objects included in document image data 210 are divided into a hierarchical structure, and hierarchical data 220 as a single file is divided into a text layer 221, a handwritten layer 222, and an image layer 223. Specifically, document image data 210 is written in XML using the SVG file format, and data is expressed in layers using the hierarchical structure of hierarchical data 220. Text objects 211, handwritten objects 212, image objects 213, etc. included in document image data 210 are divided into layer structures. Only the necessary layers (text layer 221, handwritten layer 222, and image layer 223) from document image data 210 can be saved or printed as text layer file 231, handwritten layer file 232, and image layer file 233.

[0033] According to this embodiment, first, information can be managed efficiently. Dividing scanned documents into layers facilitates information management. Necessary information can be quickly identified, saving time and effort. Second, only necessary information can be extracted. Using the layer structure, only necessary information can be extracted from scanned documents. For example, individual layers, such as images, text information, and handwritten information, can be selected and saved or printed. This eliminates the need to handle a file containing the entire document when using only necessary information. Third, flexible editing and reuse are possible. Using the layer structure allows individual pieces of information to be edited independently. For example, it is possible to edit only text information or replace images. It is also possible to reuse the same layer in different documents. Fourth, saving only necessary information reduces file size. In particular, for documents containing a large number of images and graphics, saving only necessary layers can reduce file size. Fifth, printing flexibility is improved. Only necessary information can be output when printing. For example, setting certain layers not to print can save ink and paper. This is expected to improve document management and use efficiency, leading to improved productivity and cost reduction. Furthermore, the ability to flexibly edit and reuse individual pieces of information is expected to increase creativity and flexibility.

[0034] Although the embodiments and modified examples of the present technology have been described above, the present technology is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present technology. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 10 Image forming device 100 control circuit 101 Document image acquisition unit 102 Document Image Segmentation Unit 103 Hierarchical Data Generation Unit

Claims

1. a document image acquisition unit that acquires document image data read by the image reading unit; a document image dividing unit that divides the document image data into a plurality of objects having different attributes; a hierarchical data generating unit that arranges the plurality of objects in different layers for each of the different attributes and generates hierarchical data including the plurality of layers; An information processing device comprising:

2. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, the plurality of objects with different attributes include text objects, handwritten objects, and / or image objects; The document image segmentation unit extracts text objects by optical character recognition. Information processing device.

3. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, The hierarchical data generation unit generates a layer file for each of the plurality of layers included in the hierarchical data. Information processing device.

4. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, The hierarchical data is an SVG file Information processing device.

5. The computer of the information processing device Acquire document image data read by the image reading unit; Dividing the document image data into a plurality of objects with different attributes; The plurality of objects are arranged in different layers for each of the different attributes, and hierarchical data including the plurality of layers is generated. Information processing methods.

6. The computer of the information processing device, a document image acquisition unit that acquires document image data read by the image reading unit; a document image dividing unit that divides the document image data into a plurality of objects having different attributes; a hierarchical data generating section that arranges the plurality of objects in different layers for each of the different attributes and generates hierarchical data including the plurality of layers; An information processing program that operates as a

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